Monday, May 14, 2012

Haiyore! Nyaruko-san Episode 6 References

"Becoming an adult is quite saddening." (1:14)
The Japanese dialogue is "Otona ni naru tte kanashii koto" (大人になるって悲しい事). This is referencing a line said by the character Yoyo from the game "Bahamut Lagoon". Her line goes, "Nee Byuu. Otona ni naru tte kanashii koto nano" (ねぇビュウ。大人になるって悲しい事なの), or "Hey Byuu. Becoming an adult is a sad thing".S2

"If you have something dear to protect, you may end up resisting yourself." (1:17)
The Japanese dialogue is "Mamoritai mono ga aru nara jibun ni datte aragau" (守りたいものがあるなら自分にだって抗う). This is referencing a line from the lyrics to the song "Resistance Line", the opening theme song for disk 2 of the game "WILD ARMS 2nd IGNITION". The line goes, "Mamoritai taisetsu na mono aru nara jibun ni sae aragau no darou" (守りたい大切なモノあるなら 自分にさえ抗うのだろう), or "If you have something important you want to protect, you may end up going against even your own ideals".S2 Video for reference: http://youtu.be/H9rBPjir41A?t=1m9s

"Nyarlko, aren't you going to transform?" (3:27)
The Japanese dialogue is "Henshin shinai no, Nyaruko?" (変身しないの、ニャル子？). This is referencing a line Kaito Junichi says to Kaito Daiki in episode 23 of "Kamen Rider Decade". His line goes, "Doushita? Henshin shinai no ka?" (どうした？変身しないのか？), or "What's wrong? Aren't you going to transform?".S5

"The wind blew away the photos of me modeling in a swimsuit!" (3:43)
The use of photos as a distraction is a reference to Saotome Ranma, the protagonist of "Ranma 1/2", a manga series written by Takahashi Rumiko and published from 1987 to 1996. In chapter 222 of volume 21, Ranma, as a girl, twirls a baton to generate wind and blow pictures of herself at Tatewaki Kuno, a technique called Memory Album Attack (メモリーアルバムアタック memorii arubamu atakku).S3 Images for reference (read from right to left):

"Use me like an old rag." (4:31)
The Japanese dialogue is "Boro zoukin no you ni sarete" (ボロ雑巾のようにされて). The phrase "Boro zoukin no you ni", or "like an old rag", is referencing a line said by Lelouch Lamperouge in episode 4 of "Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2". His line goes, "Sanzan tsukai taoshite, boro zoukin no you ni sutete yaru!" (散々使い倒して、ボロ雑巾のように捨ててやる！), or "I'll milk you for all you're worth, then throw you away like an old rag!"

Background music (4:22)
The song that plays at this time is referencing "Taboo" (タブー Tabuu), a song played in a collection of skits performed by Japanese comedian Katou Cha (加藤茶) of "The Drifters" (ザ・ドリフターズ Za Dorifutaazu), a Japanese comedy group. The song also plays in episode 3 at 16:48. For a more detailed explanation, please check the explanation on the episode 3 post.

"How shameful!" (6:54)
The Japanese dialogue is "Iyan, maicchingu" (いやん、まいっちんぐ). Nyaruko's pose and dialogue are referencing those of Mai Machiko from the manga "Maicchingu Machiko Sensei".S1 Image for reference:

"Xoth. The name of the star Cthulhu was based on before coming to Earth." (7:20)
As mentioned in episode 4 at 12:27, there are two references here:
* The X-oth is referencing the Microsft Xbox 360.
* The X-oth is also a reference to Xoth from the Cthulhu Mythos. It is stated that,

"the Spawn of Cthulhu came down from remote and ultra-telluric Xoth, the dim green double sun that glitters like a demonic eye in the blacknesses beyond Abbith, to whelm and reign over the steaming fens and bubbling slime pits of the dawn eons of this Earth..."

This excerpt is from "The Thing in the Pit", a short story written by Lin Carter and first published in 1980 in "Lost Worlds", a book containing a compilation of short stories written by Lin Carter.

"The father of the boy standing there is a board member of our bitter rival, CCE." (7:31)
"Carcosa Computer Entertainment. The company producing the HS3" (7:40)
There are four references here:
* Carcosa is referencing the city by that name that appears in the Cthulhu Mythos and is ruled by Hastur.S1
* Carcosa Computer Entertainment is referencing Sony Computer Entertainment of the Sony Corporation.S1
* As mentioned in episode 4 the HS3 is a reference to the Sony Playstation 3.
* To backtrack a bit, Luhy and the company she works for, the Cthulhu Corporation, are based on Cthulhu. As mentioned above, Carcosa Computer Entertainment is referencing Hastur. The rivalry that Luhy mentions is based on how Cthulhu and Hastur are antagonistic towards each other in the Cthulhu Mythos. Evidence of opposition between the two is mentioned in various texts, such as "The Return of Hastur", a short story written by August Derleth and first published in 1939, and "The Trail of Cthulhu", a book containing a series of interconnected short stories written by August Derleth and first published in 1962.

"Hear me, citizens." (8:13)
The scene and dialogue are parodying Gihren Zabi from "Mobile Suit Gundam", an anime that aired from 1979 to 1980.S1
* The scene is based on depictions of Gihren giving a speech while standing at a podium in front of the Zeon flag. Luhy's pose is based on the "Sieg Zeon" salute, which is commonly used in the series. In particular, this scene resembles Gihren's speech from "Kidou Senshi Gandamu Giren no Yabou Jion Dokuritsu Sensouki" (機動戦士ガンダム ギレンの野望 ジオン独立戦争記), a game based on "Mobile Suit Gundam" released for the PlayStation 2 in 2002. Image for reference:
Video for reference: http://youtu.be/nYRxiNAz5nw?t=2m2s
* The Japanese dialogue is "Kike yo! Kokumin yo!" (聞けよ！国民よ！). This is referencing a line from Gihren's speech in episode 12 of "Mobile Suit Gundam" for Garma Zabi's funeral. This speech is also given by Gihren in the first "Mobile Suit Gundam" movie, released in 1981. Gihren's line goes, "Kanashimi wo ikari ni kaete, tate yo! Kokumin yo!" (悲しみを怒りに変えて、立てよ！国民よ！), or "Turn your sadness into anger and rise up! Citizens!".S2 Video for reference (spoilers): http://youtu.be/nYRxiNAz5nw?t=1m23s

"The Xoth 731 is a new machine which will allow users to experience virtual reality by sending game data directly to their brains from a massive server." (8:17)
There are two references here:
* The number 731 appears to be a reference to 731 A.D., the year of death of Abdul Alhazred, the author of the Necronomicon from the Cthulhu Mythos, according to "The Keeper of the Key", a short story written by August Derleth, which was first published in 1951 and later published in the book "The Trail of Cthulhu" in 1962.S1 The number corresponding to Abdul's year of death is possibly related to how the X-oth 731 is the last console made by the Cthulhu Corporation since they withdrew from the game industry. To note, the year of death of Abdul Alhazred is 738 A.D. according to "The History of the Necronomicon", a short story written by H. P. Lovecraft and first published in 1938.
* The idea of the Xoth 731 being a giant server that sends game data directly to the brains of players is based on a similar concept in "The Call of Cthulhu", written by H. P. Lovecraft and first published in 1928.S6 In the story, Cthulhu is able to transmit its thoughts to sensitive men and manipulate their dreams.

"... Their mode of speech was transmitted thought. Even now They talked in Their tombs. When, after infinities of chaos, the first men came, the Great Old Ones spoke to the sensitive among them by moulding their dreams; for only thus could Their language reach the fleshly minds of mammals."

However, when R'lyeh, the city in which Cthulhu is imprisoned, sunk to the bottom of the ocean, this ability was sealed off.

"The great stone city R'lyeh, with its monoliths and sepulchres, had sunk beneath the waves; and the deep waters, full of the one primal mystery through which not even thought can pass, had cut off the spectral intercourse."

When the city resurfaces on March 23 in the story, Cthulhu is free to manipulate dreams once again.

"March 23d the crew of the Emma landed on an unknown island and left six men dead; and on that date the dreams of sensitive men assumed a heightened vividness and darkened with dread of a giant monster's malign pursuit..."

So the Xoth 731, created by the Cthulhu Corporation, has the ability to send data to connected players to allow them to experience virtual reality, which mimics the ability of Cthulhu to send its thoughts to the minds of sensitive men to manipulate their dreams.

「そうだな。ならば海賊らしく・・・いただいてゆくっ！」
"Sou da na. Naraba kaizoku rashiku... itadaite yuku!"
"That's true. In that case, I'll take her by force... like the pirate that I am!"

Image for reference:

(9:58)
There are two references here:
* The pose done by Nyaruko and the colored rings that appear are referencing the transformation sequence of Kamen Rider OOO from "Kamen Rider OOO"(仮面ライダーオーズ), a Japanese TV show about a masked super hero that aired from 2010 to 2011.S1 When Kamen Rider OOO transforms, he inserts three medals into his transformation belt, and then he uses a handheld scanning device to scan the medals by moving the device over the belt. A colored ring appears corresponding to each medal scanned. Images for reference:
* The main medals used by Kamen Rider OOO are Taka (タカ), Tora (トラ), and Batta (バッタ), and the colors corresponding to these medals are red, yellow, and green. However, the colors of the rings that appear during Nyaruko's pose are green, yellow, and red. These colors and their order of appearance appear to correspond to the Kuwagata (クワガタ), Tora (トラ), and Kondoru (コンドル) medals respectively. Combining the first character of Kuwagata, the first character of Tora, and the last character of Kondoru, yields "Kutoru" (ク・ト・ル), which appears to be referencing Kutouruu (クトゥルー), the Japanese spelling of Cthulhu.S6

"I have arrived!" (10:17)
The Japanese dialogue is "Watashi sanjou!" (私参上！). Nyaruko's dialogue and poses are repeats of references in episode 2 at 17:04. The dialogue is a reference to the catchphrase of Momotarosu from "Kamen Rider Den-O". His line goes, "Ore sanjou!" (俺参上！), which has the same meaning as above. Nyaruko's poses are also mimicking Momotarosu. Images for reference:
Video for reference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhiVEmI8MCc

"Yes, this is Luhy Jistone." (10:34)
There are two references here:
* The name Luhy (ルーヒー Ruuhii) derives from Cthulhi (クトゥルヒ Kutouruhi), a species of creature in the Cthulhu Mythos. They are the spawn and servants of Cthulhu and are of similar physical appearance to Cthulhu, but they are much smaller in size.S7 They are mentioned, though not by the term Cthulhi, in "At the Mountains of Madness", written by H. P. Lovecraft and first published in 1936. The term Cthulhi is used to describe the spawn of Cthulhu in "The Transition of Titus Crow", a story written by Brian Lumley and first published in 1975.
* The name Luhy Jistone (ルーヒー・ジストーン Ruuhii Jisutoon) is based on Lucy Monostone (ルーシー·モノストーン Ruushii Monosutoon), the name of a character from the manga "Multiple Personality Detective Psycho".S5 There is also a pun here, as "mono" in English means "single" or "one", while "ji" in Japanese is one possible way to read the character 「二」, which means "two".S4

"I'm not finished yet! This isn't over!" (11:34)
The Japanese dialogue is "Mada da yo, Mada owaranai wa!" (まだよ、まだ終わらないわ！). This is referencing a line said by Quattro Bajeena in episode 50 of "Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam", an anime that aired from 1985 to 1986.S2 Despite being double teamed and his mobile suit having an arm and a leg destroyed, he shouts, "Mada da! Mada owaran yo!" (まだだ！まだ終わらんよ！), or "Not yet! It's not over yet!". Video for reference: http://youtu.be/K0d_mZQdfpw?t=1m28s

(12:34)
Nyaruko's pose is mimicking that of Kamen Rider ZX.S3 Image for reference:

"I'll have to use the paralyzing fork." (13:04)
Paralyzing fork, or "Shibire fooku" (痺れフォーク), is a reference to the Paralysis Knife (麻痺投げナイフ Mahi Nage Naifu) from the "Monster Hunter" game series.S2

"Let's break away!" (13:08)
The Japanese dialogue is "Saa, furikiru yo!" (さあ、振り切るよ！). This is a reference to one of Kamen Rider Accel's catch phrases from "Kamen Rider W". His line goes, "Furikiru ze!" (振り切るぜ！), which has the same meaning as above.S1

"What is this Musou Mode?" (13:12)
This is a reference to Musou Mode (無双モード musou moodo) from the "Dynasty Warriors" game series. Musou Mode is a playing mode in which several stages are strung together for a particular character.S1

"Despair awaits you at the finish!" (13:30)
The Japanese dialogue is "Zetsubou ga anatatachi no gooru ne!" (絶望があなた達のゴールね！). This is another of Kamen Rider Accel's catch phrases in "Kamen Rider W". His line goes, "Zetsubou ga omae no gooru da" (絶望がお前のゴールだ), which has the same meaning as above.S1

The dialogue goes as follows:

「今回の騒動の元凶を叩き潰すという重要な濡れ場が」
"Konkai no soudou no genkyou wo tatakitsubusu to iu juuyou na nureba ga"
"I performed the highly important love scene of defeating the mastermind behind this incident!" (13:43)

「見せ場だろう」
"Miseba darou"
"You mean the big scene." (13:48)

This isn't a reference, it's just Nyaruko misspeaking. She means to say "miseba", which means "highlight scene" or "big scene", but instead says the similar sounding "nureba", which means "love scene". She makes the same mistake at 14:20.

"It seems a pleasant wind blows through this city." (16:16)
The Japanese dialogue is "Kono machi ha yappari ii kaze ga fuku ne" (この町はやっぱり良い風が吹くね). This is referencing a line said by Sudou Kirihiko in episode 18 of "Kamen Rider W". His line goes, "Fuuto... Yappari ii kaze ga fuku naa..." (風都・・・やっぱり良い風が吹くなあ・・・), or "Fuuto... really has a nice wind blowing through it...". As a note, Fuuto is the name of the city the story is set in.S2

(17:10)
The flag says "Ia Ia! Hasuta" (いあいあ！ハス太). This is referencing the chant in the Cthulhu Mythos praising Hastur that begins with "Ia! Ia! Hastur!", which means "Yes! Yes! Hastur!".S1

"You should apologize." (17:30)
The Japanese dialogue is "Hansei shinasai" (反省しなさい). This is referencing the catch phrase of Sailor Mercury from the anime "Sailor Moon". Her line goes, "Mizu demo kabutte hansei shinasai!" (水でもかぶって反省しなさい！), or "Douse yourself in water, and repent!". Also, Sailor Mercury and Yoriko are both voiced by Hisakawa Aya.S1

(17:39)
The text on Nyaruko's bikini read "Love" and "Craft" as a reference to H. P. Lovecraft, the author whose works led to the creation of the Cthulhu Mythos that "Haiyore! Nyaruko-san" is based on.S1

"Listen to me!" (18:51)
The Japanese dialogue is "Boku no hanashi wo kikeeee!" (僕の話を聞けえええ！). This is referencing the catch phrase of Nekki Basara, the protagonist of the anime "Macross 7". His line goes, "Ore no uta wo kike!" (俺の歌を聞け！), or "Listen to my song!".S1 Video for reference: http://youtu.be/fVeyozVRwy8?t=35s

"Wait a minute!" (20:06)
The Japanese dialogue is "Chotto matta!" (ちょっと待った！). This is a repeat of the reference to "Neruton Benikujira Dan" (ねるとん紅鯨団) in episode 3 at 13:36. For more details, please check the explanation on the episode 3 post.

(21:41)
The drink on the table is mead, an alcoholic beverage that is produced by fermenting a solution of honey and water. In the Cthulhu Mythos, the Byakhee, a species of interstellar creature that serve Hastur, can be summoned by performing a ritual involving Space Mead.S6

"The next episode is 'Blue Coral Reef.'" (23:51)
The Japanese title is "Aoi Sangoshou" (青い珊瑚礁), or "Blue Lagoon", which is referencing the novel "The Blue Lagoon", which inspired several movie adaptations and a song by that name sung by Matsuda Seiko.S1

50 comments:

It's a shout out to Kamen Rider OOO (pronounced O's, like in cheerios) and his henshin belt. The medals are loaded into the belt and the scanner "scans" the medals in the same motion that Nyaruko moves her hand.

If I find any more I'll say so later:(3:13) Kamen Rider's kick, obviously(4:44) Is that an MM! reference? (i don't know much about MM! so idk)(5:55) Haha...Objection! Her pose is a Phoenix Wright reference which has since become a meme in Japan and America. (I personally love this meme)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Wright_(character)(10:02) Same Knight Blazer reference as episode 2(17:25) That "coin" has the Yellow sign on it.

Furthermore, her lines at (13:08) "さあ、振り切るよ！” and (13:29) "絶望はあなたたちのゴールね！” are a reference to the catchphrases of Kamen Rider Accel from Kamen Rider W, ”振り切るぜ” and ”絶望はおまえのゴールだ。” which say the same thing only with a more masculine sentence structure.

Hmm, interesting point. I'm not sure about this, though. I watched the dub of G Gundam so I can't comment on any Japanese phrasing. However, "talk with your fist" (拳で語る kobushi de kataru) doesn't feel like a concept or phrase that is unique to G Gundam. If you can come up with a direct quote then maybe it will be easier to compare and judge.

I'm pretty sure when Kuko says "The Xoth was ahead of its time." and Mahiro's mom says that "the console with the best technology doesn't always win." is referring to the Sega Dreamcast. The second line may also be referring to the current console wars, where the PS3, despite having the best hardware, isn't necessarily the winner.

Interesting points. I don't really want to get into the details about game console sales and specs, though. Whether the dialogue true or not is up for debate. In the case of the PS3, it did have a slow start due to its high price and lack of games despite having better specs than the XBox 360 or Wii. However right now the PS3 is certainly doing quite well and has no shortage of popular games. This kind of commentary I want to stay away from and keep the blog focused on more concrete references.

Yo Anon2, interesting observation! I think this might be what it is referencing due to it being related to the Cthulhu Mythos. Also, since it's the year he died, this might be related to how the X-oth 731 is the last console made by the Cthulhu Corporation since they withdrew from the game industry. I'll add this.

At Anon3, while Unit 731 seems possible, even the way it is called, "Nana san ichi", is the same as the X-oth, I don't think the author would throw in a reference to such a grim and dark topic like that.

Nyaruko - Kuuko fight scene around 01:30 (zero raw files, not sure about the other released) seems like a reference to Naruto vs Sasuke fighting scene. IIRC, the color were swapped (Naruto, blue color is in left side, while Sasuke, red color is in right side. Reference image I could find: http://images2.layoutsparks.com/1/59966/naruto-vs-sasuke.jpg)

Hmm, interesting observation, but the Naruto scene seems a bit different. Naruto and Sasuke are pushing energies at each other while Nyaruko and Cthuko are punching each other. This may just be a generic reference to shounen type series.

I don't know the full context of the scene in "Baka to Test" so I can't say for certain, but I would probably consider it a coincidence. If you can tell me the episode in which this occurs, then I can investigate and properly assess it.